Washit cleans you and your clothes simultaneously

Water is a precious resource and in places like Australia and the U.K., the onset of summer coincides with restrictions on water use – hosepipes for watering gardens are banned, and showers are recommended over baths. But even taking a shower uses a fair amount of water, which all ends up down the drain. The same goes for doing laundry. If only there was a way to combine the two into one unified unit.

There is, or at least there could be in the future. Four university students in Turkey have collectively designed Washit, a concept shower and washing machine combo that's capable of cleaning you and your clothes simultaneously.

Washit uses a closed-water plumbing system that collects the greywater from the shower outlet and stores it in a tank ready for washing laundry. Before the greywater reaches your clothes it passes through a series of three filters - carbon, organic, and chemical - to ensure your laundry doesn't emerge dirtier than when it went in to the machine. These filters can be removed for cleaning or replacement at any time.

The designers of Washit imagine the appliance will be used both in domestic and public settings. In a domestic setting the washing machine door is on the outside so that laundry can be deposited at any time. But in a public setting this would be switched around so that the door is on the inside. The user could then step in to the shower and remove their clothing in situ ready for washing. Washit can then dry the clothes ready for the user to put them back on before they leave the unit in the same outfit as they were wearing when they entered. Except both the user and their clothes would be clean and fresh.

A collection of sketches showing the design process behind the Washit concept

The Washit concept won the Hansgrohe Prize 2012: Efficient Water Design at the iF Concept Design Awards, with the judges noting, "This is an interesting combination ... a clever solution: identical components, resource-saving, aesthetic appeal, hygienic." The students are now at the prototyping stage, and figuring out the best way to take Washit from concept to reality.

Dave is a technology journalist with a ravenous appetite for gadgets, gizmos, and gubbins. He's based in the U.K., and from his center of operations writes about all facets of modern and future technology. He has learned more in his five years writing for the Web than he did in 11 years at school, and with none of the boring subjects thrown in to the mix.

Needs to CHANGE NAME. WaSHIT? How did this get out from the idiot filters in marketing.

Funbarboo

"...one unified unit"

Surely by definition a unit is unified?

Alien

FunBARboo, I do see your point, how about cleanseit?, cleanit? darn ;) Bill, PS perhaps sh#t does not mean sh#t in Turkey? well, sheet

Bill Bennett

I agree with the other commenter about the name being interesting... Otherwise, I'm interested to see how this concept plays out.

Facebook User

seriously, this device would need to be capable of washing the clothes and person simultaneously, who really wants to stand around (naked) waiting on a washing machine which usually takes at least 35min for a wash followed by a 30 min drying sequence. Put a TV in it!
Who's going to iron the clothes, is a press unit included, lol?
This waSHIT ain't gonna fly.

livin_the_dream

So how is one suppose to install this in a bathroom? To have access to both the shower and washing machine it would need to be standing in the centre of a room. So we be looking at a 3m by 3m room at least, that's a very large bathroom. It just wouldn't fit in the average size bathroom, so it doesn't have mass market appeal. Then I guess ones bathroom also turns into the laundry room as well, that's a lot of damp air to get into all that electronics and mechanical workings. How about a shower + dishwasher? or a just a grey water collection tank in the ground?

Jugen

Um, and I guess they could go one step further and use the output to flush our toilets!

SteveZ

...into our farm fields for fertilizer

SteveZ

Interesting multifunctional idea.
A quick run through the quantities shows a bit of a concept flaw however. Standard 10 minute shower at 2.5 gal/minute gives 25 gallons to wash with-a whole lot more than is needed to wash with-particularly with efficient side loading machines. A recirculating shower system would reduce total amount down to a few gallons.
Back to the drawing board?
david

ADVENTUREMUFFIN

Considering the number of people I know personally who have admitted to the disgusting habit of peeing in the shower, there is no way this should ever be offered to the traveling public. If you want filtered pee for your own self, be my guest...but not at my house.

dwainez

Great for camping venues, beaches, lakes areas only or events like Woodstock, NY event then 1969.

Stephen Russell

Hang on a mo dwainez, urine is sterile and in fact, the Romans used it to whiten their togas. Perhaps there is more to the idea than one at first supposes.

fleming

Nice idea... But where does my laptop go in the public version? A $15 locker just outside? And how does it manage to cope with light and dark colours? Or do you need to shower twice in that case? I'm also skeptical about how long you're standing around naked waiting for your clothes to dry. Or get washed for that matter.

10 minute shower =/= 1 hour wash/dry cycle.

John Routledge

I concur ADVENTUREMUFFIN; additionally, please email me @ thomas@divergeconcepts for some professional exchange. Thanks so much!

Thomas Freeman

That must be one hell of a washer/dryer combo to have your clothes cleaned and dried before you're done rinsing off. Or are you supposed to just stand there freezing your belldugans off while you wait?